Five Footprints in The Snow
by Doge de Pan
Summary: [Test fic] Years after Vayne and the workshop graduated, things did not look up for long. Even after three years, the world still hasn't forgotten her fierce hatred towards him and his kind; the alchemists. Though struggling against the world, Vayne tries to keep a steady head until a silver lining shows.
1. Down into the Lake

My name is Vayne Aurelius.

I think that's redundant to say, knowing the high price on my head. I am an alchemist, graduated from Al-Revis academy.

Al-Revis is an academy that focuses on training alchemists. It's a school situated in a floating island far above the earth, to prevent anyone from going in or out without being noticed. It's a safe haven for us alchemists, though it has its downsides at times.

Alchemists - people with an understanding of the true nature of life and everything in it - are often thought as practitioners of witchcraft in the world, so we have to be cautious wherever we go. We're misunderstood and I don't think the views are gonna change soon.

I never knew that the moment I stepped out of the academy, but I knew immediately my presence would mean danger no matter the situation. So I opt to travel around, never staying in one place for too long. I never get lonely, because I know Sulpher is always around.

But I know, I'm only safe when I'm with him and my friends.

It all started when I fled to the north, after a church fellowship gave a warning of a Homunculus walking the streets. They meant the Homunculus as me.

It was snowing that night, the only thing lighting the path being a lantern that Prof. Zeppel gave me. I can barely keep walking straight because how deep and soft the snow is, my legs felt somewhat numb in the cold.

But it wasn't long until I spotted a village, just outside of a forest and across a small lake.

I was relieved, because I knew someone who lives in this village.

I walked to the edge of the lake, it's frozen. I didn't know how solid it was but I can't risk breaking the ice, since taking the road around it will be deadly.

Sulpher tugged on my coat, even if he couldn't speak to me anymore I knew he thinks something is wrong. It's tempting to turn back, but we'll freeze to death if we don't cross the frozen lake.

" Don't worry, " I said. " It's safe to cross... I hope... "

I could almost hear his exasperated sigh. He knew I was trying to convince him and he didn't believe any of it.

So I picked him up, carried him in my arms and slowly walk on the surface of the ice.

Slip!

I almost fell down, the surface is somewhat wet. The lake was newly frozen, but it's strong enough to hold a man with 60kg worth of supplies and a cat. I knew I have to meet with her soon.

I wasted no time, I walked across the lake. The blowing wind prevented me from hearing anything, but I felt a faint cracking below me. Sulpher gets anxious.

When I glanced down, large cracks had formed below me. Even when I'm near the other side of the lake, I knew I'm in deep danger.

Before long, water started leaking out the cracks and the surface begins to cave in. Sulpher screeched and jumped from my arms, to safety in the village's edge.

I was about to follow but it was too late.

The ice below me broke and I fell in.

I'm drowning in cold, freezing water.

I didn't remember much in there, just the deep darkness of the lake's bottom and ice flakes sinking with me.

I remember trying to swim up, but I was too heavy. My supplies are too valuable to lose and my clothes are heavy with the water it absorbed.

And then, I passed out underwater.


	2. Blackmail

I woke up with a mild headache, though my eyes won't open just yet.

It was warm around me, far from the cold water where I passed out.

I heard voices, a familiar one and a cat's mews.

" Vayne...? Hello, Vayne? " I knew that voice too well.

When I slowly open my eyes, a pair of blue cat-like eyes greeted me.

I jumped in surprise, Nikki too. Even when I'm surprised and kinda scared, I'm still glad to see her again; Let alone being treated well for the first time in months.

She was wearing thick clothing, I almost didn't recognize her without her characteristic strand of hair hanging high. If it wasn't for her hair, I would've mistook her for another Beastman huntress.

In a flash, Nikki tackled me with a hug. I understand that since she lived far away from all the others, the one closest to her as for this moment being Roxis. ( Not that he even tolerated her out-of-school behavior. )

" Oh my GAWD, Vayne! You got me worried sick! " she said, sounding a bit angry. " What happened? "

" I got in trouble with a church. " I told her.

She let go of me and offered me soup. Even if it was a Beastman recipe, I still enjoy the notion of eating without worrying of poison in my food.

Sulpher looked calm, he fell asleep beside the cauldron where Nikki was cooking the soup up. He looked full too, she fed him fish it seems.

" Again? Who did they kill this time? " she asked.

" A boy they suspected as an alchemist. He was barely half Anna's age but they burned him alive at the stakes."

The sound of the boy's screams still echoed in my mind to this very moment. I secretly hope I never have to hear such a sound ever again.

Nikki looked somber.

" The war on alchemy got harsher... I heard the kingdom near here recently had their king and queen die in a storm, the locals blamed their alchemists for mutiny. "

The king and queen of Kythan... They're good allies of Al-Revis' alchemists and spokespersons for Norwegian alchemists, they're brave enough to take risks. With their deaths, we both knew that our one chance of safely staying in Europe shrunk down to one silver lining until one of their daughters take up the throne.

Nikki and I shared a look, a glance that we both learned to read while still in the campus.

" We have to leave. Fast. " she said.

I was confused, since Nikki is the head huntress here.

" The villagers here were blackmailed recently, by a neighboring kingdom's spies. They're looking for- "

" Alchemists... " I finished her sentence.

I felt impending doom, nowhere is safe. I searched for my backpack and looked out the window. There are men outside, armored in heavy leather and armed with tall spears engraved with crosses.

" I know a safe way out, my hatch leads deep inside the forest. " Nikki grabbed a few of her supplies and stuffed them inside a durable bag.

We quickly put out the fires and dimmed the lights, dropping in ice cubes into the soup to avoid suspicions from the men outside. Then Nikki opened a hatch below her weapon rack and led us down there, Sulpher following right behind us.

It was a long walk, but we emerged out from a dead tree's roots safely.

I took a lookout, no human was in sight.

" Phew... " Nikki sighed in relief.

We crawled out of the root's cavities and fled deeper into the forest. The snow wasn't as thick in there, since the trees' leaves carried out most of it. Still we traveled with little light, since no one in the village is allowed to enter the forest at night.

" Where do we go now? " I asked her.

" If we're lucky, we'll be at Roxis' city by dawn, " She answered. " If we're lucky. There're dire wolves out there and the only one with a real weapon here is me. "

Sulpher meowed deeply, sounding offended. Nikki apologized to him shortly.

After we cross into what Nikki thought as the dire wolf territory, I took out my lantern and lighted it. The wolves are said to hate the light, so I lighted an extra candle inside.

She knew the forest by the tips of her toes but even she has trouble walking through this part of it.

In the corner of my eyes, I spotted a dire wolf. He looked hungry yet fearful, maybe because of the light. Nikki hissed at him and he barked at her, like how a cat and dog would.

The snow starts to get thick again, we're at the southern edge of the forest.

" That was close, we almost ran into the Snow King! "

Nikki's remark caught me off guard. We were walking through a " No Man's Land " ( As Flay would call it ) all along

As we stepped out of the forest, I felt a cold sword cutting my forearm.

" Aargh! " I screamed, the wound redden and froze to keep the blood in.

Nikki pushed me behind her and I then saw him

The Snow King, standing behind us with his sword ready to cut our heads off.

" Run! "


	3. Execution

As much as we'd like to run, we have no means to.

Our legs were frozen in glass. Not ice but glass, something far more dangerous.

Nikki tried to fend him off with her hammer but it was struck away from her hands, leaving both unusable by sword wounds.

" Shit...! " I heard her mutter under her breath.

Instinctively, I reached to Sulpher but he was nowhere. I began to panic until I saw him crawling silently up to the King's head.

" Su- " Nikki blocked my mouth, she knows Sulpher had a plan.

He reached his neck and bit his ear, the King screeched. The ice binding our legs broke into shards, small enough to be harmless. He threw Sulpher off his neck and fled back to the forest, he was unharmed because of the thick snow.

Nikki laughed and brought Sulpher up to her level, snuggling and praising him for his brilliance. I'm impressed, mostly by how sharp his teeth are. He looked cocky while at it.

As dawn begins to break, we reached a city about 15m from the central kingdom. This is where Roxis lives, the city of Fragisse.

Nikki had rented us a three night stay at an inn, but the owners were open about everything and didn't mind occasionally housing alchemists in. I never knew white mages were allowed to run businesses, it was interesting to know.

" I heard there's gonna be an execution taking place. " I said, reading through the books Nikki brought while waiting for the regen spells to heal both our wounds.

" No thanks, I've had enough of death and despair already. "

She's still remembering Jess' funeral two years ago. She died of her illness and left all of us devastated, but Nikki suffered the most. They were close, like any pair of sisters would be.

She had Sulpher by her side, petting him to help her rid of the depression.

The sounds of horns rung from the city's center park, making us look out the window.

" Dear citizens of Fragisse, I am happy to announce that with these fires our city will finally by free from alchemists! "

A cheer from the crowds was heard.

My insides lurched. Why would anyone treat the death of a person like a celebration? Nikki was practically fuming with rage.

" That's it, " she said while adjusting her hammer strap to her hooded cloak. " We're getting out there. "

I had no choice, without her I'd be dead sooner than I'd starve again. The owners offered to keep Sulpher safe in. I put on my cloak, borrowed a dagger from the owners and followed Nikki to the central park.

The crowd there surrounded the area like ants to a block of sugar; it was packed.

We had to squeeze through hordes of men, women, children and beastmen to even get a view of the governor and the alchemist being executed.

" Who is that? " Nikki asked.

To be honest, that is a question I don't want to have an answer. Any alchemist's death, any person's death, to me is something I don't want to mention.

The guards pushed the alchemist next to the governor and stabbed his knee, making him kneel.

" Aaagh! " cried the alchemist. His voice sounded familiar.

The governor pulled the white sack covering the alchemist's face and I was struck.

Horror filled me and Nikki as we saw whose face it was, all battered, bruised and bloodied.

Roxis was being executed.


	4. The Last Ones

" Vayne, we have to save him! "

" I know, but how? There's only two of us and countless of them! "

Nikki and I were panicking. The risk is too great for us alone to rescue him.

I tugged on my borrowed dagger, trying to keep myself from throwing it at the governor. Anna had noted my skills with knife throwing was below average, so it leaves me with higher risks at hand. Not to mention Nikki's fingers not fully healed yet.

When I took a glance at her I noticed her face reddening and tears welling up in her eyes. There was anger and despair in her, like those two years ago.

There's not much I can do, just watch as the governor kicked and beat Roxis while announcing the crimes he never did.

" ...And I would like to thank house Rozenkrantz of Germany for their hearts of stone, offering their firstborn and only son - an alchemist - to be cleansed by the fires of our goddess! "

Rozenkrantz... That's Roxis' family.

Roxis' family betrayed him. The people he puts all his trust to, betraying him in cold blood.

I felt my anger building up. How could anyone do such a thing? I noticed my hand was shaking, gripping the dagger's hilt tightly.

And Nikki... Oh man, Nikki.

She looked furious, as if she was about to go berserk at any second. My hand held hers and both shook, mostly from her rage. It always hurts when she crushes my hand between hers, but this time it's different.

She's being a human now. Her beast side stepped back to let her human rage show. No beast or animal have the ability to feel rage.

As the guards pulled Roxis to the gallows, his eyes met us. He looked at us surprised and terrified, blood covering his eyes stinging tears mixed in blood out of them. He looked at us like how an animal is hunted down.

Afraid.

I was at the verge of tears, it wasn't his time yet.

The guards held Roxis up at the platform's edge, tying his neck with a roughly made rope. The crowd went silent as Roxis and the governor exchanged words.

" I will be generous, because I am a holy man. I will give you your last chance to speak. " the governor sounded arrogant.

" ...And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death... "

The crowd went wild, especially the churchgoers onlooking him. There were murmurs everywhere but most of them mostly said about him being a church-goer or something.

" Silence! " the head guard silenced the crowds at swordpoint.

" You were a holy man too? I pity you, alchemist- "

" My name is Roxis Rozenkrantz, " Roxis corrected him, sounding more annoyed that sorrowful. " I have a name. I have done no crime against you, but you have done crime against my people. I should be the one pitying you. "

The governor looked furious. He reached for a sword but his guards stopped him and his advisor tried to calm him down, telling him the alchemist will be dead soon enough.

I don't like the sound of that at all.

" Enough of this, just tip him over the edge already! " The crowd chanted.

There were screams of " Drop! Drop! Drop! " everywhere we turned to, Nikki had to shut her sensitive ears.

A soft breeze hit me but I hid my hair with my hood, I don't want to reveal myself. Even then I know this kind of breeze. I hate to admit that I know this.

When the guards pushed Roxis off the platform's edge, a quick sharp-star cuts the rope and sent Roxis down to a pool of rotten flesh and blood. But he never hits the gross pool because a cut in dimensions sent him elsewhere, as Nikki saw through the panicking crowd.

As the governor rages in the platform and the civilians thrash around to flee, I looked up and around. I saw two figures climbing up an abandoned two-story brothel.

A red caped man in a mask was escaping and a small soldier followed him, I knew instantly who they are. No other person would be wearing a superhero outfit in public, nor would a Norwegian human soldier shamble awkwardly in cheap leather armor with a sword labeled " Lemouri " strapped at his chest.

Flay and Muppy saved Roxis' life, at the cost of possibly enraging Anna for stealing her sword.

I sighed of relief and pulled Nikki with me, trying to escape the crowd.

" What happened?! Was that Anna and Flaya?! " she asked me while dodging the panicked children.

" That was Flay and Muppy! " I answered, trying hard to keep my hood on.

" But how?! I thought only her clan could do that! "

" He must've learned from her! She used to letter me a lot about how he'd pester her to teach him how to cross through the dream dimension! "

Nikki giggled, jumping through the crowd swiftly. I almost couldn't keep up with her, due to my awkward human body. Even then, we avoided the crowd well enough to not get long-lasting bruises on us.

Then, I felt a breeze on my head and my vision lighting up.

Somebody screamed.

" It's him! The Homunculus! The Homunculus is here! "

My hood was pulled down by mistake.

Nikki grabbed my wrist and dragged me with her, running at blinding speeds towards the inn. When I looked back, the guards were following behind. Some of them are running quickly on foot and the others are on horseback, it was an army of humans and beastmen.

She had to take a lot of turns and corridors, to whisk away the guards to a safe number. I didn't know what she meant by that, either she meant fight them or escape easily. Before long, we were at the back door of the inn and back inside.

The mages looked at us confused, they were looking at me the longest. I realized the mages were trained underground, so they never knew of alchemists and their taboos. Nikki and I explained to them what happened and they nodded with understanding, they don't seem to mind us at all.

" Hurry upstairs, friends. You'll have to lock the door and hide someplace in the room, Fragisse has assassins in their army. " one mage advised.

Nikki nodded and dragged me upstairs, lock the door and hid in the closet. It was cramped inside even when empty of clothing, but more so with our stuff in with us. We found a note inside.

" Gather everyone up and meet me in London, in a black house right next to a crossroad. I have a plan. - Ally of Justice "

Nikki and I shared a look. We both mouthed out, " Flay. "

A tap of a heavy boot was heard outside, a tiger's growl following. It was a beastman assassin. I felt the hair at the back of my neck rise as the assassin started sniffing the air. And then Nikki clenched her teeth, silently cursing herself.

She forgot to get rid of the fish bones of the fish she fed Sulpher earlier.

But where is he? I haven't seen him anywhere near the mages.

I felt soft fur rubbing against my chin and I almost jumped; the mages turned Sulpher invisible. They turned him invisible and hid him in the closet beforehand.

Nikki and I smiled and hid him in my cloak to prevent the assassin from smelling his scent.

The assassin was silent but then jumps out of the window. I heard people talking right outside the inn. One of them was saying there couldn't be any alchemists in but the mages' voice tells them to search through the rummages of the black market for us.

I honestly couldn't believe those mages would take their time saving the people they barely even know. White mages really are those pure hearted healers Jess always told me about.

A chariot of horses left the inn's front and the mages went back inside, they knocked at our door and told us it's safe to go out.

When we stepped out, the mages offered me a cup of coffee.

" So, you are a friend of Mr. Gunnar? " one of them asked.

" Yeah... How did you know? " I asked back.

" Ah, he funded the construction of the inn. He mentioned we should help alchemists who graduated from Al-Revis, I think he meant you two and several other people who were here a few months ago. They rented the same room as you. "

" Huh? Who? " Nikki asked before I could.

The other mage answered, " A couple of newly-weds, a pink sentient slug in a mechanical jar and a princess from a faraway land. "

Newly-weds? I think he meant Tony and Renee, who fled to Iceland a few months back on a honeymoon. They've been married for three years, other than that I never heard much of them.

Pink slug in a jar... That's obviously Muppy. I was reluctant to ask if they saw him in his leather armor disguise, he hated to be ridiculed even when jokingly.

And a princess from a faraway land... Why would a princess stay at an inn? Even if it's Anna, she'd be staying at somewhere more clean than here. Her habit to dust had catch on to me afterall, now I can't stop seeing dust welling up on the surface of the shelves filled with skulls of bizarre creatures.

" Wait, who's this princess? " I asked.

" She's some blue-haired lady. Pale skin, soft blush, big blue eyes like the oceans. Such cute. " a mage got lost in the cute imagery, but immediately snapped back. " But she had a humble air, we barely even noticed her royal blood. Or is she really royal? We just don't know! "

Nikki looked confused. The first description fits Anna perfectly, but she had an aura of authority. Even if she is humble, she'd be the person who'd boss people around whenever dirt is within her sight. Who did they mean by princess?

" Did she carry a sword with her? " I asked again.

" Heavens no! She didn't carry a sword with her, just a dirk! Or at least, the equivalent from her land. "

There's something wrong with the fact. There's no way Anna would walk around without her sword. With the news of storms brewing around the nearest route from Japan to Norway, the chances of the princess being Anna is thin.

Then a man came in, wearing thick coats and bringing two other people with him.

" I'm sorry, that letter was months old. No need to venture to the slums of England for me. " Flay said, tapping both Nikki and I at our shoulders.

She jumped from her seat and immediately hugged him, Flay almost choked laughing with her. Muppy took off his cloaked disguise and greeted the mages. And the third man took off his mask and glared at me.

Roxis. Alive and well.

Not very well, since his wounds have yet to heal, but still alive.

I was relieved but still uneasy, his glare always made me feel such a thing.

Flay sat himself next to me and placed Nikki next to him, Muppy sitting in his ship next to the mages and Roxis.

" I need to discuss matters with you all, about us. Or rather, what remained of us. " Flay said, sounding serious.

" Huh, what do you mean? " I asked.

" We are now the only alchemists still alive in Europe. "


	5. He Hesitates

The mages were shaken. They covered their faces with their hoods and cried.

Nikki was trying hard to contain her tears, even when they drip out of her eyes freely.

I was too shocked to say anything. To think that the European population of alchemists, the second biggest to Middle Eastern alchemists, dropped down from 525.600 to just 6. Even if some of them are alive and had fled the continent, getting help we can trust will be impossible.

Fear took over me, there would be nowhere to hide in Europe.

" We only have two options left, " Muppy said through his device. " We either flee the planet and war against the galactic warriors, or we stay here and let me slay all of you to a good dea- "

Nikki clawed the alien prince's face, causing him to scream silently. Strangely enough, I agreed with her. We just couldn't give up without thinking of another way out safely.

" Nikki's right, " Flay nodded. " Suicide is a bad way out of a situation with a million variables to occurrences. I say we flee the continent! "

We were not surprised by the slightest. The idea had been lingering in our minds, afterall.

" Yeah, but where'll we go? Moreover, how do we hitch a ride on the nearest steamboat out without getting our asses shanked? " Nikki asked. " There's just so much that can go wrong! "

Flay took out a map from his coat and laid it across the coffee table, using a the light from one of his devices to brighten the diagrams.

" We'll make a route escape, " his finger points at our current location. " We'll steal a boat from the seafaring marketplace nearby. Then we'll have to visit a maximum of six locations to draw off any spies following us, so by the time we're unnoticed we can hitch on a merchant's ship from Southern Sweden to where we know we can be safe... "

Roxis stopped Flay's hand from tracing to the Far East on the map.

" Are you saying we'll be escaping to... Japan...?! "

Flay's confident smirk annoyed Roxis, causing him to jump from his seat and pull Flay by his collar.

I almost jumped to help him, but I knew it'll get me in trouble.

" Do you realize how many soldiers will be on each merchant's ship when they find out we're missing?! " he asked with an angry tone. " We'd be discovered! We'll be executed before we even see the shoreline! Not to mention the storms brewing in the Pacific, you're sending us to our deaths! "

" Have faith, Roxis! You still read that blasted book right? Take a leaf from it. We're gonna need all we can to survive this plan. "

I didn't like the sound of that. It almost sounded like Flay was hesitant, it's unlike him at all. It seems that his depression from two years ago had a deeper effect on him than we expected. Roxis eventually lets him go and sits back down, hissing while his knee jolts with pain.

The mages, who had been watching them argue, sat silently with their innocent smiles. I didn't know when they stopped crying, but I was glad they did. They offered Flay and Muppy free keys to extra rooms, but Muppy refused and went away with the Lemouri sword in his spaceship. They took Roxis to their little Infirmary and tried to heal him while another took us upstairs.

Nikki and I are restless the whole night, we couldn't sleep just thinking of the plan Flay devised and that was only one half the reason. Roxis' grunts and yelps of pain as the White Mages healed him kept us from sleeping, I guess magic and alchemy works in different ways when it comes to medical arts.

I sat up, tired from not sleeping and thinking too much.

" Nikki? " I whispered to her.

" No need to whisper, I'm just as awake as you are. " She said, also sitting up.

" Should... We help the mages? Roxis sounds like he's been hit by Koalarias for three days. "

Nikki smiled a little but then returns to her somber look.

" I don't know... They look like they know what they're doing. "

A scream from below and Nikki shrugged. Then silence for a few minutes until limping footsteps from the stairs and outside our door was heard, followed by an angry door slam.

More silence.

" ...Are you scared? " I asked out of the blue.

Nikki looked at me like she knows what I was talking about. She knows exactly what I was talking about.

" Yeah... I just don't wanna know what Anna'll think of us when we get there covered in muck and blood... " She joked, almost giggling at the last part.

" If we even get there at all... " I continued. " Six destinations across Europe's gonna take a lot out of us... I think Flay went a bit overboard with this one, and that's a record in itself... "

Nikki didn't answer for a long time, just looking away from me.

" ...He's afraid... " I didn't expect the answer at all. " You saw him since Jess' funeral right? He's been planning either more dangerously or playing it safe, there's no in between... Sometimes, I get letters from Anna telling me that she's concerned about him... "

Anna had become like a sister to Flay, maybe even like a daughter. They're close enough for them to be comfortable around each other weaponless and handcuffed, as Muppy found out. We had all realized it when she finds comfort just by sitting next to him that day two years ago.

" Usually, he'd be the one who'll announce our victory before it even happened, " Nikki continued. " Now... I think he wants to play it safe to make sure we'll make it to the shoreline in one piece... "

For a while, we didn't talk. Just a sad silence filling the air, sometimes broken by Flay's snoring next to us. Judging from sounds, he fell asleep while writing down his plans at his desk.

" We should go to sleep... Flay would be furious if we're limping sleepy tomorrow morning... " Nikki climbed back to bed and tried her hardest to fall asleep.

I sat for a few minutes longer, enjoying the silence. Sulpher had fallen asleep by Nikki's feet, cupped comfortably by her tail.

I let sleepiness come over me and I climbed back to bed.

Even with the sleepiness, I still feel a pang of doubt in me.


	6. A Long And Boring Trip pt 1

I've been waiting for everyone since dawn, I couldn't sleep well because of my nightmares.

Shadows looked darker to me since the day I defeated my Mana side, sometimes I see red eyes opening in them from the corner of my eyes. It's a disturbing sight really, even more so in my dreams.

_yaaAAAWNN~!_

I heard yawning from Nikki upstairs as she climbed down, dressed up in her old school uniform. Or at least, her new traveling outfit based on it. It was the last thing Jess had synthesized for her and she cherished it like Roxis would with his cards.

" Sorry I'm late Vayne, my hammer needed oiling... " she sounded drowsy.

" It's okay. I'm just feeling sorry for the mages, they looked scared since last night. "

I took a glance at the mages standing behind the counter. These poor men were traumized by Roxis last night, they weren't used to seeing wounds that severe it seems. They look scared and nervous, they looked like they could almost fall over and shiver in fear.

Nikki took a sit beside me and watched Flay drag Roxis down with him. He looked healthy, almost as if the wounds on him never happened. The mages had done wonders to him and Flay smirked with the thought.

" I already checked out for you two. Muppy should arrive here with our ride in- "

A horse's whine pierce through the walls before Flay can finish his sentence. We never knew where he even got a chariot, but that's a secret for another day. When I looked out, Muppy was sitting in the chariot's front, holding the horses' reins with his normal hands. It was a weird sight but I'm no longer surprised.

Flay erupted into laughter.

" Aliens and their wonderful technology! " he laughs. " The world seems so much better with them! Come on, we don't have all day here. Chop, chop! "

I walked outside and raised my hood, carrying Sulpher with one hand and my backpack's strap with another. The chariot is surprisingly large up close, large and strong enough to contain everyone and not creak so much.

" Hiiyah! " Muppy snapped the reins and sent the horse sprinting towards the city's gate.

As we exit and ride out into the winter, Flay glared at me. Then he turns his sight to Nikki, then Roxis, then Sulpher. He was planning something. He took out a piece of paper and a bar of charcoal and started scribbling things to it, looking out to the left occasionally.

" So how's life been treating you, Vayne? " he asked. " Any new scars? Any news on your romance with Nikki? "

I blushed and looked down, trying to hide it. Nikki stammered in embarrassment, she couldn't say a word to protest. I can almost hear Sulpher's silent laughter in my head while I try to hide my blush.

But it was good. My mind was off things and went onto other things. What would happen when it's all over, if we managed to live long enough to see it. Would I settle down with Nikki and have kids with her? Would I live off the fat of the land and become a hermit as I used to? There's just so many possibilities and I'm seeing it all vividly in a single slide.

" Obviously not, for the latter, " Muppy said sarcastically from outside. " The boy couldn't even sway the hearts of young maidens, let alone the heart of an Amazonia- "

Nikki threw a rock at Muppy's seat and sent him jumping and cursing to her, somehow still controlling the horses well. Flay's amusement bellowed into the outside.

The chariot suddenly stopped and Flay pulled down all our hoods, Roxis putting on his mask instead. When I glanced at Muppy, a man in a charioteer's outfit took his place instead.

" Where are you headed, sir? "

" I'm taking these shamans and a plague doctor to the Pyros' Bay, sir. The doctor's treating them to delicious Earth- I mean, fish and chips at his home there. "

Guards are outside. Heavy leather armor, tall spears with crosses carved to the blades... They're the same guards who were visiting Nikki's village when I almost drowned in the lake.

" Hm... Men like him should be out treating the plagues around England and France, the burnt corpses of the alchemists there left diseases in their land. "

The charioteer I knew as Muppy didn't care much, but us humans do. I held Nikki's hand to help her calm down, patting it lightly to not make a sound. Big mistake.

I noticed the wounds from our encounter with the Snow King left us with stark white scars; two crossing each fingers on Nikki's hands and a vertical, jagged cut across my forearm to the back of my hand. Snow Kings are attracted to the scent of Mana in their territory and enjoys drawing energy off their wounds to strengthen themselves.

Coupled with how Manas only reveal themselves to those they deem worthy of pacting, I just revealed our identity indirectly.

My chest hurts and my stomach lurched, hoping the guard would have bad enough eyesight to not notice the scars.

Just as the guards begin to enter, I let go of Nikki's hands. A guard saw me and came up close to me.

" Say, what'cha got there for that sweet-cheeks? " he asked.

I didn't answer, I don't want my identity to be found. Instead, I folded my scarless hand above my scarred one and closed my eyes. The guard grunted with annoyance and left me, he assumed I was praying. But his breath smelled so bad, I can hardly keep focus.

I saw a guard pestering Nikki to show her face, but the head guard pulls him away to scold him only to pester her in his stead. Then I realized, half the guards are drunk. I sighed in relief, I loosened my fold over my hands.

A guard left outside called his comrades back.

" I sincerely apologize good sir, apparently they mixed the bottles of vodka with the bottles of water our General entrusted us with. "

" Tell them to start taking booze control classes, no slacker like that belongs in the barracks of a mighty kingdom. Not even the slums of the earth. "

And with that, the chariot just moved again fast and away. Even then, Flay still hadn't let us lower our hoods.

" If you have Gods and or Goddesses, " he said. " Pray to them now. We need a miracle for this next step to be successful. "

Obviously only two of us prayed, Nikki and Roxis. Flay and I are atheists, as he'd tell me. To be honest, I do believe there is a God but I just don't know how to believe. So I decided to shut it up, thinking I'd probably be better off not knowing.

The next stop we dropped by in a pub by the village near the bay, Muppy and Flay wanted to get a meal before hitching a ride. He really wanted to make sure we're in top condition before hitting the seas.

" What'll the orders be, sir? " the waitress asked Muppy, still in his charioteer form.

Before Muppy can say anything, Flay intervened and ordered instead.

" We'll have whatever you have on the menu, make sure your fishes are boneless. Be fast, us folks need to arrive somewhere before nightfall. "

The waitress nodded and wrote down random items on the menu, and then returned to the head chef while talking suspiciously with him.

The chef shot a look at me but Flay pulled my chin to face him.

" Don't look suspicious. " he warned me.

Flay is scary when he's serious, it's not a mystery why we used to let him lead our workshop back in our academy days.

He pointed at my belt pack and told me to only take two glances at it. When I looked down I saw the dagger that I borrowed from the mages, but it's fitted with a Nicro cloth handle and a small letter. The letter had messy handwriting so I couldn't read much of what the mage who forged this said. All I saw on the yellowing card was his initials, E.K.

" Cat's Claw, best dagger I can get you for now, " Flay shot a smile at me. " Use it well and make sure to never touch the guard. It costs a fortune to polish it that nicely here. "

I smiled at him and tuck the dagger into my cloak as the waitress came with an assortment of food, and a small plate of " fresh " sardines for Sulpher. As we ate, I couldn't eat much because of Sulpher wanting my fish stew instead of his sardine platter's smell. I didn't dare to give him the stew, it tastes worse than what the sardines would've taste like.

I could see Nikki trying hard to even take a bite out of the tuna sandwich, she looked as if it was made out of old lettuce slices and stale bread. The lunch plan worked out worse than Flay expected and he's not happy at all.

We knew he's a picky food critic but we never expected him to be _this_ picky. How Flay almost caused a scene arguing with the head chef and having to cook his meal himself will always be a personal memory of mine.

After lunch, he took us to the bay and looked around. The wind made it hard for us to stay in one place because we always had to move to a covered place to keep our faces covered, the sea is splashing against the bay's high walls and threatened even army ships to tip over upside down, and Muppy just saw a live fish hitting a poor boy in the face after it's flung off the waters. It was the perfect day to die at sea.

" Bah, it's calmer here than I expected, " Flay said, sounding confident. " I've seen bigger waves off the shores of a lake on a sunny day! "

" E-easy for you to say that! " Nikki stammered, terrified of the waters. Sulpher sat next to her, he seemed doubtful too.

Roxis and I exchanged looks, we both knew the sea would be hard to cross today. We then look to Flay, he was staring hard at the horizon. Analyzing the seas, he brainstormed for a plan to counter the storm brewing in front of us. Then he turned back.

" I hope you're all ready. We have no time to spare, " he said. " We'll have to hide in a ship and wait until it moves. We've been bewitched! "

Witches, the mortal enemies of alchemists. They relied on demonic natures to aid them, they don't believe in compassion with the earth. We've been at war with them since the first instances of alchemy and witchcraft were developed. But even then witches wouldn't strike at us without provocation, they're not omnipotent.

' Why would they attack us when we did nothing to them? ' I thought to myself.

" ...And he calls himself a holy man... " I heard Roxis muttered.

Flay heard him too and asked him, " What do you mean by that? "

" Governor Olav, that pig in expensive clothes, he bribed witches to ambush every location within the kingdom's range of domain... " Roxis growled.

That explains it and somehow I'm not relieved.

I picked Sulpher up and held him close, looking at Flay for any movements. Then he moved towards a large ship, all of us following behind him except Muppy. He chose to cross through space instead, he hated salt on his body for some reasons.

The ship was majestic, it's painted a rich dark brown and gold shining brilliantly even when being splashed with saltwater in every direction. The hatch where supplies would've went in was wide open and next to it was the ship's name, The Sea Empress. The ship shared a name with a legendary battleship of beastmen pirates.

" Pfffft ahahahaha! "

Flay laughed at the ship. We weren't very sure why.

" What an insulting immitation! This is merely a glorified merchant's ship! " he said, wheezing from laughing too hard.

I couldn't help but crack a smile, Nikki was giggling as well. Roxis was smiling for once, it's the first time I saw him like that in years. Our laughter stopped when we heard thunders stirring at the far oceans where lightning bolts - made by witches - hit the waters.

" Get in! Don't waste time! " Flay pushed us to run towards the supply hatch.

We managed to avoid the ship's crewmen from seeing us and hid behind walls of netted barrels within the lower deck of the ship. It was awful in there, I remembered seeing wet rats carry rotten flesh everywhere around the ship. I swear I could've seen Flay cringing at the poor condition of the ship's survival quality, if only the light from outside the ship was enough to see.

Sulpher, he just kept eyeing the rats running around. Even when he's full, he eyed them like how he would with the mice back in the workshop. He wanted to hunt them down but I can't let him, his paw was infected. It's still red and a sickly black-green, like the jaws of the feral dog that bit him. To this day, I still feel guilty over letting him get injured by that strange, square-eyed dog.

A large wave hits us and sent crates, barrels and everything in between moving. The ship's captain yelled to get his men working on sailing the ship before anything bad happens, I almost wanted to rise up and help them to escape the nausea I'm getting from seasickness.

" Hold it in, we're almost off the bay. "

Flay reassured me, even when he's unsure himself. I find it comforting, even by a little.

Then we heard the ship's masts open up and anchors being pulled off.

Before we know it, we're out at sea.


	7. A Long And Boring Trip pt 2

The ride was... Boring compared to getting in the ship.

Flay was right about the ship being of poor quality, Nikki just snatched a few good fish from the barrel she was sitting from and washed off light stains on the scales with water from a small leak. But we kept our guards up and ourselves not too loud, the men on this ship have surprisingly sharp hearing.

At that time, I was starting to get jealous of Muppy. He's far away from all the muck and smell, but I guess it's better that we take the ship instead. At least nobody will get too suspicious of us flying in a large mechanical ship shaped like a sword.

It has its upsides here aside from that, I've always been curious about what the sea looked like up close.

" It's definitely different from what I saw from paintings, " I said to Nikki. " It's beautiful... Even when it's in a bad weather. "

Nikki just laughs silently.

" We really need to take you overseas more often, this is just the tip of the iceberg! " she said, smiling widely despite fearing the waters.

That was the best I felt in days, months even. For the first time since Al-Revis, I felt nothing too threatening. I felt bored for once, being with my friends again and having to see the seas up close and personal. It was great when it lasted.

Then we heard a loud, sharp crackle on the outside, and a giant log of wood splashed into the water.

" All hands on deck! Man anything you can find as a weapon! We either sail or die trying! "

That was never good news.

The ship shook as heavy boots stomp the surface and objects from the upper deck fall down to the floor, not to mention the waves stirring around us.

" What's happening up there?! " Nikki asked.

" The ship's being ambushed! " Flay yelped, barely avoiding a barrel flying towards him. " We have to move before- "

A pair of heavy metal containers hit the edge of the ship and opened a large leak. As cold water enters the ship, it tips backwards and sends everything slowly tumbling in.

" Run! " A crewman saw the leak ( fortunately not seeing us as well ) and commanding his fellow crewmen to escape.

Everything was chaotic at that moment. Time feels like it was going so slowly and everything just happened so quickly.

Flay was jumping through the crates, barrels and nets full of objects heavy enough to kill him while dragging me and Roxis along. He had taken Sulpher from my hands, I thought he noticed the infection on his paw earlier.

But Nikki.

Nikki was missing, until I took a glance behind me and felt my heart drop to my stomach.

" Ahh! "

She was stuck in a net, being dragged slowly in along with the crate it was stuck on. She was holding onto a pillar but her hands are already bleeding because of the rough surface and nails protruding from the surface.

I couldn't help it, I tore away Flay's grip on my arm and ran to her. Even when he screamed like a sailor at me, I just couldn't let Nikki die. So I ran and dodged obstacles as best as I can, being careful not to cut myself with the dagger, and try to reach Nikki.

" Vayne, what are you doing?! Get away from here! " she screamed, her hands barely holding on.

" I can't let you- I-I won't let you- " I was stammering, I'm too panicked to speak properly.

The water already reached my ankles and Nikki's knees, it was freezing cold and the netted crate was nearly tipped off the boat. In a haste, I tried to reach for the net and cut her foot free. The water was too cold and muddy from the dirty floor, it was almost impossible to see in there. Eventually I caught grip on her tangled ankle and cut the ropes free, sending the crate off into the deep.

I pulled Nikki close to me and backed away fast from the water. It took us a while to realize but we were both shivering, Nikki even more so. She was so scared, she had tears in her eyes. I was scared too, but what scared me was not the leak.

It was the crewmen left behind who saw me free her that did. They all knew I'm the Homunculus.

" I-it's.. It's him... " " He's not like what they said he's like... " " Keep your blades up, he might be deceiving us... " I heard their whispers.

Flay and Roxis was still there, they looked grim. But Roxis, in an attempt to win the trust of the crew, he opened his old grow book and pointed a hand at the leak. A runic circle appeared and lighted the dark deck, the old wooden boards growing to close the leak and spit the water out of the closing hole. Flay, on the other hand, eyed the men closely to see what they'll do next.

" What's the meaning of this?! Who lighted the oil- " the captain of the ship went down to see what happened and saw whatever it is that he saw on us. His scarred, battle-worn face told us he's a dangerous man despite his ship, maybe retired from his swashbuckling days.

Flay, naturally, spoke to him, " You have two options, become our mutual ally and sail us across the seas... " he glared at the captain. " Or kill us here and leave yourselves open to another witch onslaught, with no means to cover any damages to your ship. Choose wisely. "

The crewmen, obviously less experienced in battling, backed down immediately. But the captain still stood his ground. He stood on the stairs silently while thinking and he still looked scary while at it, but he showed wisdom.

" On one condition, " he said after a while. " You will synthesize gold for us. 3 ingots' a minimum for a day. Fail to pay us one day and we'll throw you off the pacific. "

For one thing, alchemists are taboo because we can create gold out of nothing. The world leaders recognize that, but not the limitations. See, it takes a tedious amount of effort to make a gold nugget and tenfolds the effort to make half an ingot. The condition is obviously impossible to achieve with our current conditions, and Flay knows it well.

What's surprising is what he did to the captain minutes after he said that. He just picked the old man up by his collar and threatened him up close. The captain was a large man, he's probably half the size of the orcs mentioned in old epics, but Flay picked him up as if he was just a child robber. That's how powerful he is when angered.

When he placed the captain down, he faced his men and nodded with a fearful look and turned his gaze back to Flay.

" You and your friends... Go upstairs and find a proper place to sleep. The witches are playing a concert up and down, expect a bumpy ride. "

We all went up to the upper deck and looked around for a bed or even a hammock. It's not easy, all of them are either occupied or made into makeshift tables and fruit baskets. We decided to stay in a small room, it was empty aside from a furnace and a gas lamp but at least it was comfortable enough.

Soon, it's quiet again and boredom crept in again.

" So... Flay... " Nikki began. " What exactly did you say to big ol' Captain Killjoy there? "

Flay looked at her tiredly and shrugged.

" The same thing my father always tells me as a child, " he said. " You know which one I mean, Nikki. _That _one. "

Nikki shuddered at the thought, Sulpher hissed and Roxis refused to even look at Flay for a while.

I've always wondered what he meant by that. But whatever it is, I guess it's something terrifying. Even when I'm curious about it, no one wanted me to know. I think it's better for me to not know about it.

Before we realized it, we all had put up an embarrassing intense face. When we did though, we just laugh it out. Or in Roxis' case, smile widely.

It felt good to laugh again, good and almost surreal. I haven't laughed in a long while and I felt as if I just woke up from a long sleep with my joints being awkward and groggy, even then it's a good feeling.

I wanted this to last forever, but I knew it won't happen.

At least it's better than nothing.

At least there's something to keep our minds off worrying thoughts.


	8. Intermission: Red Eyes

" Run! Don't look back! "

" What about you?! We can't leave you-! "

" I will only slow you down, now go! "

" But-! "

" I don't want to get you all killed! Go before he gets- A-aaargh! "

" No! "

" It's too late for her, we have to go! "

My eyes shot open again, it's the same nightmare over and over again. But somehow it's still horrifying. My whole body hurts from not sleeping on a bed, especially my head. I felt dizzy all over, I can hear the waves outside the ship splashing around.

I wanted to sit up and look around but I couldn't. I didn't know why I couldn't at that moment and when I tried to look at the others, nobody was there. No one, not even Sulpher. Strange, because I remembered sleeping last out of everyone.

In the corner of my eyes, I saw something on the window. A pair of blue hands with shiny, black claws for fingers. Just by seeing the hands there made me know something was not right. I can't even turn my head just to make sure it's not there, I can only open and close my eyes.

The ship was moving in steep waves, the floor was practically shaking with the rough drops. But even then, I didn't move from where I slept on. The hands open up the window and a head slowly starts to peek in.

" You really thought you can escape me, didn't you? " a voice said, it sounded raspy but similar to my own. " Mana, like energy, cannot be created out of nothing and destroyed like that. You are simply a vessel, I am the real you. "

A head supported by a thin, skinny neck turned to me. My stomach lurched while I saw his face.

He had stringy, short white hair that had patches of dried blood at the tips of his bangs which covered his blue and tar black skin. His mouth was nothing more than a bony jaw, I can't remember if the red on his front teeth were lips or blood. And his eyes... That image is still vivid in my mind. His eyes were a horrible mix of a normal human pair and red, cat's eye-like eyes. Not heterochromia, but two pairs of eyes blended into a single pair.

" Hello again Vayne, my old friend. " he said with a voice that echoed in my ear. I couldn't speak.

He sat on me and looked at me dead in the eyes, even when I turn away more red eyes appear by my sides. I wanted to scream but he stopped me from even moving.

" How many years has it been? Ah, three years... Three years since you graduated and three years since you got that lucky shot down, " the monster sounded bitter, but I honestly had no idea what he meant. " But I believe you and I have faith in one constant rule, right? The rule of Karma. "

Then he grinned so widely, I swore his jaw was going to pop off. He looked like a corpse and smelled like one up close too.

" Your kind shall fall and fall and fall... Until there is nothing but rubble left... " he whispered, bringing his mouth to my eyes. " Sure they'll rebuild, but to fall down even harder... You'll see... You'll see what happens when you mess with unfathomable natural forces... "

He opened up his jaw widely and revealed to me eyes. Red, bloodshot human eyes looking tiredly at me. Tired but alarmed. In my mind, I screamed. Even when I close my eyes I kept seeing those eyes turn around uncomfortably in their barely fitting sockets, sometimes some of them cried black tears.

Eventually the eyes close and there was darkness behind my eyelids. When I open my eyes again, the monster is gone and my body could move. I sat up immediately and my whole body jerked with pain, I slept at the wrong position.

To my relieve Flay, Nikki, Roxis and the others are still alive and sound asleep. The ship is still sailing gently over the small waves. But even so I felt anxious, cautious too. The hallucinations left me in a horrible state and Sulpher knows it, he was staring at me the entire time.

I sighed, rubbed my aching head and try to sleep again.

This time, I made sure to sleep far from Flay's legs.


	9. Sinking Feeling

I made it a note to myself to never sleep right after experiencing Sleep Paralysis, that was admittedly one of the dumbest decision I've ever made.

Horrible nightmares kept me up all night and left me exhausted in the morning, much to Flay and Roxis' chagrin. Nikki and Sulpher don't mind, they only find it rational to be exhausted at 5 am.

We got off at a crowded bay in a town called Ghravanha, which according to local rumors meant " Ghra's Fresh Waters. " Personally, I didn't believe that part much. Mostly because the water was littered with fish innards and rotten bits of fish gone in the markets for too long. Muppy wasn't in sight either, apparently he skipped this place to avoid smelling the maggots rise out from the dead fish.

Though by the looks of things, it seemed important to whatever Flay's planning. I never wanted to question why he chose Tony's hometown, he always answered questions about his plans differently.

" His house should be around here somewhere... he has a better map than this old piece of crap... " Flay said, throwing away his map that was watered down by yesterday's flood to the bloody water below.

" Wait, you said we were the only ones still alive right? Does that include them? " Nikki asked, I was starting to get curious of that too.

" They were on a honeymoon, " Flay almost laughed but then turned serious again. " Upon knowing that their friend was executed despite not being an alchemist, they decided to drop all their romantic rendezvous plans and fled off to only the Gods and Goddesses knows where. "

Even Tony and Renee chickened out, that's how bad the prejudice is. There's no mercy in the war, to the point where soldiers come home to kill their families just because he thought they were alchemists. The fear and paranoia drove them insane.

Later we came across a house between two prawn shops, crowded with soldiers and mercenaries. We knew it was Tony and Renee's house, it was right there on the small sign next to the door.

I lowered my hood to cover up to my chin and looked around for questions, then a soldier came up to me.

" What are you doing here? Get away, there's nothing to see here! " he said, a slight tone of worry is in his voice.

" What's going on here anyway? "

" This place here is where those wretched demon-spawns brewed diseases and greedy potions, " the soldier pointed at the building, he made the last word sound like 'poison'. " They claimed it will heal even the damned plague but it didn't! They wouldn't share them with the holy men, they denied joining hands with our Goddess! "

' Yikes, ' I thought. ' That was a bit too much... '

" Not committing to a self-destructive hive-mind? What heathens! " Flay joked, he was being his old risky self at that point. The guard pointed a shaky spear at his neck.

" D-don't... The Goddess will punish you... " he was practically foaming in his mouth.

I looked at Roxis and Nikki behind me, they looked grim. Even Sulpher looked disgusted by the soldier. Deep down we all knew they fell prey to wrong teachings, but it wasn't our business at that point.

Our business lied at Tony's desk, where he hid his seafaring merchant's map.

Getting in was supposedly difficult, Flay had us gather right behind the building to plan out.

" We have to create a diversion. We can't get in otherwise. " he said.

" But these men are stubborn and, like a dog, once they have their sights on something they won't let go, " Roxis said, showing a bruise shaped like a steel gauntlet's palm on his forearm. " If those freeloaders on Fragisse are able to do this with such attention, how do you expect to distract them? "

Both their eyes turn on me, Nikki and Sulpher immediately objects.

" Woah, woah, woah, wait! " she said, sounding a bit angry. " We can't just throw him to the wolves again, I thought we were over that! "

" Tell that to the storyboarders, we have to hit the sales somehow! " That part Flay said somewhat made sense. " Besides, he's the only one perfect for the job. Seeing a homunculus would divert the attention of anyone! "

I heard a soft, low growl from Nikki and she turned away. Sulpher jumped from her arms and unceremoniously to the ground, making a silent 'thump!' as he hits the ground with his remaining feet and shoulder. He limped by my side and meowed.

" Sulpher? No, it's too dangerous... " Nikki said, trying to pick him up again but he hissed and swiped her hands away.

He wanted to go with me, even into danger. Like how we did before the war grew too fiery. I almost let tears form but I know Flay wouldn't like that, I wiped it away with my sweat when it did instead.

But really, I was only doing that to prevent Flay from doubting and eventually leading us to be killed from late planning.

" Are you ready for this? " he asked, putting a hand on my shoulder. " You have two weapons out of us, the dagger and Sulpher. You can, however, refuse if you want, I don't want to send a scared buck to do a wolf's job. "

My worst nightmare came true for one part; Flay had a tone of regret in his voice. I felt sick, ready to refuse. But can't, I couldn't bring myself to quit. Because I know if I did... All of us, even innocent people, would be lying dead while wars still rage on.

It was inevitable yes, but we have the option to postpone it. And that option only counts today, in my hands as a diversion and it all depends on whether they get the map or they die trying. It was a cruel option, but it was the only one at hand.

" Yeah, I'm ready... " I said finally and it felt surreal, as if I just woke up from deep sleep standing up. I must've thought it over for too long, but no one showed impatience.

" No doubts? " Nikki asked, twiddling with her tail a little.

With a deep sigh, I said " ...yes. "

Flay nodded and lowered my hood, looking around to make sure no one's around to break his plan.

" Run as fast as you can... Trust your instincts and, Vayne, " he stopped to look at me dead in the eyes. " Don't die. "

I nodded then ran past the three of them, Sulpher following behind me quickly despite his limping run, and out of the shadowy hideout of the alley into open danger.

" Homunculus! "


	10. Hit and Run

I kept running, not once did I look back.

I knew the soldiers all followed me, even their captain. I knew that would leave the house open for Flay and the others to enter, a rare success guarantee.

But still my heart raced while I ran across the slippery cobblestones and try to dodge the people blocking out my way, some of them even following the soldiers. It's a dangerous job, but without me we couldn't get past this.

So, I ran past a group of people and lowered my hood as I entered the crowded marketplace at the town's center. The hood was already darkening my vision, but the roofed marketplace nearly blinded me with only a few bars of light sneaking through open holes.

I looked at the ground in front of me and followed Sulpher as my guide, he's good at escaping places with little lighting. But even then I struggled to keep up; He's small and almost acrobatic while evading the obstacles in front of him, while I could barely even jump over medium sized crates.

The upside was the soldiers are practically blind in the dark, they kept screaming over how I must've casted a demon's shadow over their eyes to blind them. I smiled, thinking there's no way they'd escape soon enough. But I was wrong, more soldiers waited for me right outside the marketplace.

' The dagger...! ' I had remembered, so I readied a hand at the dagger and ran till we were close enough for the soldiers to see.

" Arms at the ready! Don't let him get away alive! Kill anyone who blocks your way! " their captain was screaming at the top of his lungs, it almost sounded shrill.

At his command, the soldiers brandished their spears. It was sorta rusty and somewhat unkempt, probably from using it on others too much, but still looked deadly. They held it at the opening where they expected me to jump out from, I felt an eerie panic creeping up my body.

Sulpher looked back at me and stared at me dead in the eye. He looked at me as if he had a plan and I understood it completely, even when I can't speak to him anymore. Then he makes himself like a tiger and sped off the feet of the soldiers almost unnoticed, if it wasn't for the droplets of blood.

And, I didn't know why I did that but I did it anyway. I jumped through the dark roofed areas as if I had jumped through a forest fire, quickly and swiftly enough to evade the guards from stabbing me senseless.

Except, a few stabs did hit me but I didn't realize it until a bit further away, as I tried to make sharp turns and hide in the spaces between the buildings. I was grateful there were no beastmen in their ranks, otherwise I'd be dead sooner than I'd die of blood loss.

When I hide behind a busy pub, a sharp pang of pain hits my sides. I looked down to see stab wounds, shallow ones, bleeding out into my shirt.

' This is bad... ' I thought, covering the wounds with my hands. I was shaky but determined to stay alive.

Sulpher knew and he looked at me, concerned. He should've been mussing over his bleeding paw but he was mussing over my injuries instead, I could almost feel his guilt over making me follow his risky ploy. This must've been what Flay felt like those two years ago.

I searched my pack for a Heal Jar and poured it over to my wounds, hissing slightly as it slowly fuses my flesh together again. It was not too good of a sight, but it doesn't hurt as much as the sudden realization. Once it fuses all it can, I hid the bottle back in and try to run again. Sulpher was not amused and I soon realized why.

My vision was hazy, I was tired from sleeping not too well and from bleeding. I was in no condition to run at all, but I forced myself to. I did surprisingly well though, the soldiers sounded like they were having trouble catching up.

But it was a guise, I knew. Soldiers are far more brilliant than that, I saw some more running up to me from afar. They were wearing the same uniforms Fraggisan soldiers were wearing when I saw them off Roxis' failed execution, this town requested backup. I felt my heart sink.

Time seemed to pass so slowly as they ran up to me, I guess one of my wounds opened up while I was running. When I looked to my side, Sulpher had already took a turn and ran back to where we left off Flay and the others.

Flay... I had hoped he successfully grabbed the map and escaped with the others, I knew I had no chance to survive this job.

But time seemed to return to normal as a soldier ran past his comrades with a spear in hand. He seemed crazed but it was hard to believe what I see, his hold on the spear seemed too accurate to be a berserked grip. I felt a sharp jab right below my left chest, he ran it through me and jerked it out immediately. Blood was everywhere and I couldn't control the blood flowing up my throat and bursting out my mouth.

I collapsed to my knees and finally lied down. I was going to die at that moment, it felt oddly empty. Almost like a cliffhanger ending in the books Pamela used to let me borrow, it felt like it's just wasn't my time yet.

My vision was getting darker and everything seemed to go silent around me, I was starting to get dizzy too. With whatever that I can still process, I heard a sharp and repetitive rattling noise, along with cannons. Sharp stars flew through the air with screams from Nikki, Flay and just about everyone. Strong winds blew from above, I knew it was Muppy's mothership battling off the soldiers with its own brand of strange weapons.

Then, a bright rune pattern glowed on the ground below me and a white wolf stared into my eyes. Or rather, what I can still see of it; The Mana of Light seemed pitiful over me, speaking something I couldn't understand to a panicking Roxis.

After that, the rune's glow became brighter and my eyes closed to fade out the light.

" Vayne! Don't die just yet...! Vayn-...! "


	11. Through The Eyes of The Concerned

Darkness, just pure darkness.

That's all I saw for a good hour after I regained consciousness, I couldn't open my eyes until half an hour later.

Nikki came over me first when I tried to sit up from where I am, I had no idea where I was. She hugged me gently, making me realize I was in stitches and wrapped in bandages. It hurts a little, but pleasant to me.

" H-he's awake... " she said to Roxis, who was looking at me begrudgingly.

Even with his somewhat hurtful look, I can see his concern and a bit of his pride. I saw blood and medical equipment in his hands, along with several Heal Jars. He must've healed my injuries while I was out.

" Where am I...? " I asked, still clueless to where I am.

No one answered, so I looked around. The floor was moving gently and there were men outside, working hard to move around crates filled with heavy goods. I heard soft waves splashing against wood strengthened by the Mana of Wood's powers, it sounds calming. We were back on the ship, supposedly after barely making the escape.

I was glad we were back, the town's scent was cruel to my nose. Even so, I felt something missing. Something important was missing, but I had no idea what.

And then the captain came in, holding a sleeping Sulpher in his arms.

" An old cat, but wise like a king... " he said, putting him on my lap. " I must thank you for the gold and repairs, even if you are alchemists. I guess I've misjudged you. "

Nikki smiled as if she'd been waiting for those words to be said for a long time and, to be honest, I was doing the same thing too.

" The fear of the unknown had always been humanity's greatest enemy. " Flay said, smirking.

The cruise had been pleasant so far, I was able to walk around again and feel safe for the first time. Flay told me they'd won the crew's hearts a few hours before I woke up, so that we'll have a temporary base until we can escape this whole scene. But I knew it'll take a long time, since seasons change in long time gaps nowadays.

Still, I wonder if we'll even make it at all. If our first real mission almost got me killed, it horrifies me to know what risks would our next missions hold.

I stood outside and looked at the sea, it looked beautiful even in the night. Even when the night was mostly cloudy and I couldn't see the reflection of the moon on the water's surface, it's still one of the most beautiful things I ever saw.

" Well you're having fun... " Roxis said behind me, startling me. " What happened back there? How did they found out you were there? "

" I don't know either, " I answered. " They just suddenly came along, like the soldiers already knew about the plan and had a counter to it... "

For a long while, Roxis stared silently at the sky. I never considered guessing his thoughts, since it was a mystery in itself. Then he walked to my side and rests his hands on the ship's railings.

" I have a theory, " he began. " Flay's calculation to us being the only alchemists still alive in Europe... It's wrong. We're not alone and we have our kind turning against us. Do you understand? "

I didn't at first, he had to explain again with an annoyed sigh.

" Think about it. Should we really be the only ones alive, the army wouldn't have ambushed you when you distracted them. " That part made sense.

Suddenly, my mind filled up with questions I can't possibly have answers for. I wondered who could've been the one who devised all this, and to provide a seemingly impossible flaw in Flay's safe plan... It gives me a headache just thinking about it.

It just doesn't make sense, why would an alchemist be opposing us and being from the same fraction at that... None of it makes sense at all.

" Maybe it wasn't an alchemist's doing, " I said. " I guess it's a mercenary... Someone who's trained intensely in these kinds of things. "

" Far-fetched, but possible... "

Then he went quiet, oddly he's not angry at me at all. He looked concerned, but I wasn't so sure. Maybe if I looked through his eyes, I'd know what bothered him. But I knew, that's impossible.


End file.
